One
by onlystarchild
Summary: A tale of the small transient moments in life that are not singularly significant, but the summation of which makes life worth living.  Slash of the VxR variety.


Warnings: Language, sexuality, violence, SLASH, run-on sentences from hell, and intentional abuse of all forms of punctuation. Consider yourself warned. Don't like? Don't read.

Disclaimer: All recognizable names, situations, and places belong to many good people, none of whom are me. I own nothing.

Before you read: This story does flow chronologically, but some transitions are intentionally disjointed because different amounts of time pass between each prompt. Sometimes the story jumps forward several months, sometimes only a few seconds.

Enjoy. :-)

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**ONE**

_i do not know what it is about you that closes  
and opens; only something in me understands  
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses_

_- e.e. cummings, "somewhere i have never traveled" (LVII), 17-19._

01.) Motion

The minister has been talking excruciatingly long about how life will not only continue on but will bring with it new beginnings and new hope, but all ten year old Virgil can do is gaze at the closed lid of the casket and think about all he has lost.

02.) Cool

"Wow, baby brother, look –" Sharon points to yet another moving truck trailing a small sedan down Main Street as Virgil sucks greedily on his triple-scoop chocolate cone, "— there are going to be a lot of new kids in school now that Dakota is all cleaned up from the riots, and . . . yeah–" she trails off, gazing at the family in the car: a dad, little boy in the back seat, and most importantly, a mom.

03.) Young

Barely a few months after mom was ki— . . . well, after she didn't come home again, Virgil is still half-convinced she will walk through the door, smiling and joking about extended shifts at the hospital, but for the life of him can't remember what her voice sounded like.

04.) Last

It is an unwritten and universally known requisite that the new kid is always left standing alone after team-picking in PE; the little blond boy is assigned to Virgil's team and does not make eye contact the entire gym period.

05.) Wrong

As F-Stop bounds away from the scene of the crime, Virgil stares in abject horror at the ripped, tainted, desecrated cover of Planet Man #3 – original limited edition printing in mint condition! – that lays tattered at the other boy's feet; the nearly translucent glistening of his eyes is the only sign that the blond boy is affected at all.

06.) Gentle

In his defense, Virgil has done the best he can with the nearly-depleted roll of tape "borrowed" from Mrs. Sawyer's desk, but the abused comic still resembles something pulled from a paper shredder; the new kid – Richard, he thinks his name is – still doesn't say anything when V returns the battered comic, but he looks up for the first time and smiles.

07.) Believe

Richie glances sideways at the black boy next to him at the lunch table and confides, "Sometimes I think about how cool it would be to be a superhero, you know, like Planet Man, Superman, or the Green Lantern—" and Virgil's head jerks up as a wide smile splits his face: it was all that's needed to cement their friendship.

08.) Thousand

And Richie is really great at distracting Virgil from the more suck-tastic things in life right now – like how Pops seems to have aged tenfold in a single year and how it's almost the anniversary for mom – because he totally has drug over to the Hawkins household his entire VHS collection of sci-fi movies . . . it's going to take them, like, _forever_ to watch all these!

09.) King

It just kinda happened one day where they manage to best F-Stop at his own game and as they run down the hall away from the sounds of Principal Giuseppe forcibly restraining the bully, Richie glances at the boy keeping pace at his side – both of them giddy and snorting with laughter – and in that moment he feels invincible.

10.) Learn

Richie knows how to tread carefully and has practice holding his cards close to his heart and when his father flicks off the TV in disgust and blows out of the room muttering about those "hoodlum niggers" and "faggots," Richie realizes just how much he has to lose.

11.) Attention

Frieda, she's a real cool girl, you know – funny, smart, and well . . . _hot_ – and Virgil watches her religiously and knows what kind of milk she drinks (low fat skim), her latest political stance (saving endangered frog species native to Amazonian rainforests), the color of her favorite bra (dusty blue, lightly padded with fine lace around the cup, revealed when she had leaned across the lunch table in a tank top), and when Virgil looks around for his best friend with whom to share these revelations, said best friend is nowhere to be found.

12.) Wait

Kicking his feet against the floor in an erratic rhythm, Richie sits alone at Burger Fool and pushes the ketchup around his plate with the remnants of the packet and watches the rowdy groups of friends chatter and gossip; he does realize that there are other and bigger things going on in the world than him, but it still hurts and the ketchup doodle that resembles a certain dreadlocked boy certainly doesn't help either.

13.) Change

Pops will _kill_ him if he even _suspects_ Virgil was at the docks last night and . . ._whoa_. . . Virgil's thoughts derail as weird things start happening, weird in the we-didn't-discuss-_this_-in-health-class kind of way, and Virgil's first thought as he blinks at the merrily glowing light bulb in his palm is, "Man, Rich is gonna freak!"

14.) Blue

Kinda like a dream come true, having a best friend and superhero all-in-one-combo complete with super-cool-top-secret-hideout-of-solitude, which, you know, only needs a few, err . . . upgrades; and Richie doesn't really think too much about that fact that he's creating for V, for _Static_, superhero-ing gear that just weeks prior the blond, average 'C' student would never have been able to construct, much less comprehend.

15.) Command

From his place in front of the open refrigerator door, Virgil can hear, "—and why are you always here anyway, boy? Don't you have a home to go—" and the rest of Sharon's remark is cut off by the soft click of the front door shutting; Sharon appeared remarkably contrite when Richie didn't come over for an entire week.

16.) Vision

Flying is really nothing like freedom and Richie has never felt so trapped because the errant static electricity is making him tingle – all over – and Virgil's hands are tightening on his waist – very nicely – and if Richie moves or breathes or speaks the other boy will notice how tense he is and then they're gonna have to confront some things he's just not ready for – "Yes V, the city really is pretty from up here, can we land now?"

17.) Need

Static slumps into the gas station at 1:37 AM and drowsily mumbles to the single occupant, "Yo Richie, we still need to—" but he's cut off by a pale finger pointing to the single table which holds freshly recharged zapcaps, a completed Physics. Lab write-up, and two slices of leftover pizza – Virgil grins, "I knew I kept you around for a reason."

18.) Hold

Acing Physics isn't a huge shock – he always told his mom Star Trek was educational – but getting an 'A' in English Lit and World Government and Psychology and Pre-Calc and Latin and even freaking P.E. is a bit much . . . and Richie's becoming a veritable insomniac because he's always up building and programming and theorizing and . . . Richie really wishes he could close his eyes and quiet the cacophony for a moment so he can _think_.

19.) Child

Too late, he knows he's too late when he hears a bang from the community center's gym and everyone's just standing there – why is everyone just fucking standing there when his best friend is on the ground and – _oh god_ – so much blood – Richie's crumpled body has never looked so small and vulnerable and broken – blood everywhere – _just like the night when mom was shot_. . .

20.) Picture

"BOYS! Turn off that movie and come sit down, Sharon has spent the last two hours preparing— no Virgil, you've seen it before, turn it off—Richard, put the salad down and _sit_ down boy, how you think you can carry that bowl and your crutches is beyond me . . . alright, who'd like to led grace tonight?" – and Virgil never wants this meal to end because his family's whole and here and together.

21.) Mad

His dad's making a real effort now – he supposes having your only kid get shoot will do that to ya – and he knows his dad loves him and is terrified of losing him, but it really isn't enough to banish the anger Richie feels deep down: he wonders if his dad would still love him if he knew – actually _knew_ – anything at all about his son.

22.) Soul

The sleep that occasionally decides to grace him is anything but restful and when Richie dreams, he dreams about Virgil – not anything like . . . you know . . . just Virgil – and then Richie wakes up and really wishes his parents hadn't insisted on getting him such a large bed to match the equally large bedroom because all the empty and neglected space feels like an accusation.

23.) Now

So, apparently Static's acquired a sidekick – err, right, a _partner_, yes, he understands the etymological difference _thank you_ – and you know, it's actually kinda cool discovering your best bro is a super-genius bang baby – and while kicking gang banger ass really is more fun with two, the best part is afterwards, sitting with Gear on top of the Rondana Tower in downtown Dakota as they listen to the sounds of the nearly silent city.

24.) Shadow

Daisy watches and listens to the two boys joke and laugh at the lunch table, "—yeah man, you shoulda seen it, Rich – the lights went out, then Jerome just leaps outta his seat yelling, 'The end has come! Repent!' and dives under his desk and I just _had_ to do something as well, you know—" and the other snorts in amusement . . . and really, Daisy feels like she's not even there at all.

25.) Goodbye

He sees everything, he knows everything, he is with Brainiac, he _is_ Brainiac – and Richie retains just enough of himself to know that something is seriously wrong, that Virgil – his Virgil – is staring at him in abject horror and despair and guilt and something else he just can't place – but then the mental fingers plunge deeper in his mind as the circuitry burrows farther into his flesh and oh god, it hurtshurtshurtshurts – and then it's just Brainiac.

26.) Hide

Virgil hates himself and nothing can absolve him from his neglect and guilt because one really should noticed when one's best bro becomes possessed by a world-devouring-megalomaniacal-alien-computer-program-thing; his bro is ok now and Rich doesn't talk about it, but sometimes Virgil catches the other boy absently rubbing the back of his neck – and Virgil _saw_ what J'onn extracted from Rich's spine – and the guilt floods back anew.

27.) Fortune

They polish off the last of the Chinese and Richie breaks open his cookie – to truly find yourself, you must go where you are alone – and that's funny, because the last two things he ever wants to do again in this lifetime are: _1.) be alone_ and _2.) find himself_.

28.) Safe

The barrel of the gun doesn't so much as waver as the gang banger stands up and spits a mouthful of blood and saliva into Static's face – a glint of silver – _bang_ – the gun discharges as his would-be shooter goes down hard with Backpack anchored menacingly to his chest and . . . Static's mind is still coming to terms with the fact that _he's not dead_ when warm gloved hands cup his face, "Oh god, V, are you ok?"

29.) Wash

It's blistering hot on the community center's outdoor b-ball court as they pivot and dribble and run and Richie's trying hard not to cheat – V insists that calculating parabolic arches and wind-velocity vectors are most definitely cheating – and it's good – fun – to be normal for a little bit; the sun baking his back and the unrelenting dance of the players grounds Richie in humanity and it feels almost cleansing.

30.) Ghost

Thick vines thread and creep around his torso as he sinks into a vat of the deepest red where faces – Pops, Daisy, Sharon – etched in stark black swirl and contort in the viscous fluid; the coffin's here too, still the same, falls and splinters to reveal her – _mom_ – but not mom and the empty eye sockets glow green and circuitry erupts across Richie's face as he extends a silver robotic arm to him, "Hey V, come to drown too?" – and Virgil rolls from bed and barely makes it to the bathroom in time.

31.) Eye

"No V, Big Brother clearly symbolizes the so-called 'everyman' who voluntarily stands watchdog over his peers, analogous to people reporting neighbors for perceived deviance and—" Richie pauses as they reach his locker where a piece of taped up notebook paper shows a crude sketch of . . . Virgil's still too far away to make it out clearly before the other boy rips it down, but the way Rich is biting his lip and avoiding Virgil's eyes tells him all he needs to know.

32.) Sing

Richie pauses long enough to remove his helmet and toe off his skates before promptly crashing on the gas station's single couch and he's almost asleep when he feels the cushions shift and tentative fingers that hum with traces of electricity thread through his hair, pushing the sweat-dried strands back from his face, before withdrawing.

33.) Book

There really needs to be a manual or a pamphlet: You Might be in Love with Your Best Friend If . . . and Richie would know, he could write the freaking definitive _encyclopedia_ with _footnotes_ and a cross-referencing _index_ on the subject because it's Virgil – always Virgil – _only_ Virgil.

34.) Torn

He's so nervous and asks Rich which shirt he should wear (umm, I like the green one), then asks justification for said shirt (complements your complexion, V, and it fits really, umm, well), and then asks Rich again how he looks (nice, V, you look really . . . nice) and then Daisy's already here and they're gone and Richie watches them leave with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

35.) Never

Out looking – he finds them – and he really wishes he hadn't because they're pressed together and V's hand is in her hair and Daisy's eyes are closed and Richie touches his own mouth and wonders what it feels like to be the focal point of another's world, of _his_ world; that night Richie succumbs and touches himself, tracing fingers of one hand across his lips with the other fisted between his legs . . . but the pleasure is ephemeral and afterwards he has never felt so lonely.

36.) Fool

"Rich, I can't believe you got captured _again_ bro, I mean, maybe you have princess syndrome or something – you know – always need to be rescued, fair damsel in distress, you even have the blond hair for it—" and then pain unexpectedly explodes along his jaw as Richie _punches_ him, and in hindsight, it was perhaps one of the dumbest things Virgil has ever said.

37.) Sudden

They're fighting again, distracted and arguing between themselves about commitments and priorities and other bullshit and only half concentrating on Ebon & Company's latest criminal orchestration; Static's focus is elsewhere and he doesn't hear the shout of warning but he distinctly feels the rough shove that nearly knocks him from his disk – then Shiv's insane cackle fills his ears, followed by a loud explosion that's so close he can feel the blast – Static ducks instinctively and glances backward to witness Gear's limp body drop from the sky.

38.) Time

Seconds grind and screech as time slows down and all is forgotten as Static tears through the air toward his partner, but Richie's still falling fast, so fast toward unforgiving concrete and all Virgil can hear – on repeat in his head – is that goddamn poem, "This is the way the world ends . . ."

39.) Harm

Sharon irritably jabs the power button on the TV, killing the now repetitious presentation of Static's miraculous save and resultant crash landing, and returns her attention to bandaging the gashes running down her baby brother's back while daddy attends to the burns on Richie's arms; the boys are silent – as they should be: silent and savoring life – because once Sharon's reasonably sure that the heroes of Dakota have healed from these injuries, she is going to freaking kill both of them.

40.) Wall

Awkward stillness blankets the room as Richie pounds angrily away at his mainframe's keyboard, pointedly ignoring the gas station's other occupant; Virgil looks up from the stray thread he's slowly pulling from the already thread-bare couch and opens his mouth, but is promptly cut off – "V, if you have to ask, you don't deserve to know."

41.) Stop

Virgil's trying and he leans over to help support the recycled sheet metal Rich's welding when the other boy abruptly stands, turns and— umm, they're _really_ close together, breath hot and uneven on his lips and Rich just freezes . . . one moment . . . two . . . _- clang clank - _the blowtorch and welding mask hit the ground and Rich is gone but the pieces are already clicking together in Virgil's mind . . . ohh . . . _shit._

42.) God

Dante's Inferno tells that the ninth and deepest level of hell is reserved for traitors and while Virgil's not sure if he even believes in God and heaven and hell anymore, he does believe in Richie and the utterly destroyed and forlorn look he put on Richie's face is as close to hell as he ever want to be; Virgil finally knows what he wants.

43.) Bother

He finds Richie by the docks and sits beside him, both boys swinging their feet over the sullied waters of Dakota and before his nerves fail, Virgil begins to talk: "I've had nightmares since mom died and in them I'm never strong enough, fast enough, smart enough and because of me – because I'm not good enough – people I love die and I'm alone and there's no one left because I failed them all; but I do have this safeguard against nightmares, this thing that's so amazingly wonderful and it gives me hope that if such a wonderful thing has stuck by me for this long, that maybe I'm not such a horrible person after all . . . I get by because I have you, Rich."

44.) Power

Night of the Killer Cows 2: Udder Vengeance is playing on the Hawkin's TV, but Richie isn't watching it because he's occupied watching Virgil watch him and then the other boy is sliding closer, warm hand on his knee, warmer hand cupping his cheek, graze of noses, whisper of breath, electricity lances through him as their lips brush and -_thunk-_ both boys look up, rubbing their heads as Sharon marches past laden with grocery bags, a smug grin on her face.

45.) Naked

First time for them both and it's akwardmessyhotgood and Richie's mind is finally silent because Virgil is kissing him with such abandon and raw need that Richie can't think, can't breath; he only feels slightly self-conscious sliding trembling hands into the other boy's pants while Virgil blindly grabs at his ass to pull them closer together – closergrindingheat – Virgil's emotions are displayed on his face as he shudderthrustcomes in Richie's hands and in the wide dark unflinching eyes Richie sees all the answers he's ever needed.

46.) History

Frieda studies the two boys sitting across the lunch table: they're not any closer than norm, no glances or blushes or 'accidental' brushes, but she's known them both long enough to recognize the subtle shift and— she catches it: the smile that passes between them – ohh, she _so_ called it – and they both look up with wide eyes when she snorts, "It's about time."

47.) Precious

And it's interesting that as much as things change between them, some things really stay the same: they are well into hour nine of the Lord of the Rings – Extended Edition marathon and snuggled together on the couch they banter and argue about the siren call of the one ring, dwarf sexuality, and how exactly Saruman managed to breed Uruk-hai from orcs and goblin men when both nasty species had given every indication of utter androgyny.

48.) Drive

They're both dead on their feet as they shuck off their costumes and Richie's about to power down his lab computers when strong arms encompass him from behind and Virgil burrows his face against the back of his neck; Richie doesn't feel tired anymore – V's the proverbial power source that keeps him going, keeps him sane, keeps him human – and _god_, he loves Virgil so damn much.

49.) Hunger

Calloused fingers sliding up his thighs, sweat that's not his own dripping onto his brow, hard and defined chest flush against his, a quiet moan that is distinctly and deeply male – and Virgil never really thought that he would crave, ache, _burn,_ for this – but then Rich tangles his hands in his dreads, nuzzling his neck as he slides between Virgil's spread legs, and _oh god_, there is no way something so good could ever be wrong.

50.) One

The more Virgil thinks about it, the more it makes sense, but perhaps he is being over-analytical because the warm weight of the other boy curled up asleep against his chest seems like affirmation enough; and if Virgil's honest with himself, it's always been Richie – only Richie.

Finis.

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A/N: This story was completed for the 1sentence community challenge on LJ in which authors chose a fandom and pairing and must write a single sentence for fifty given prompts. Now, mine kinda tended to stray a bit further from the prompts than I wanted, but it seemed to improve continuity. I think. And holy hell – can I _ever_ write run-on sentences: sincerest apologies for my intentional butchery of the English language. 

Anywho, constructive crit is greatly appreciated; let me know what you think! 3.


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